India needs to take care of minorities abroad: Akalis

Published: Monday, December 3, 2007, 19:10 [IST]

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New Delhi, Dec 3 (UNI) Akali Dal (Amritsar) President Simranjit Singh Mann today said the Indian government should take up the case of excesses meted out to Sikhs and other minorities abroad as it had cautioned Malaysia for discriminating against Hindus there.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee have cautioned Malaysia and expressed concern over Hindu Rights Action Force which were being made target of discrimination by the Malaysian government, Mr Mann said in a statement.

''But why does the Indian state, a secular one, 'tardly' react only when the majority community is not involved abroad and its action always remained wanted when came the case of Sikhs, Muslims, Buddhists and Jains who also constitute the citizens of the country,'' the statement added.

In support of his contention, Mr Mann said last time a Fijian Military dictator Col Rembuka sent a supposedly democratic government led by one Mr Chaudhary, a person of Indian origin packing through a military coup. The BJP and RSS wanted India to employ gunboat strategy to put Mr Chaudhary back in the Premier's office.

On the other hand, the statement expressed resentment that the Sikhs in France have been the target of racist discrimination as the French government does not allow Sikh students to wear their turbans in schools.

Recently the US Transport Department issued an order that all Sikhs traveling by air take off their turbans for search before boarding a flight. The Sikhs in America have protested against it. However, the US government reacted swiftly and removed all our grievances.

The Indians, on the other hand did not react when reports came in which the Sikhs in Afghanistan were not being to cremate their dead.